How to Map a Drive to a Web Site

Just as you can map a shared network folder to a drive letter on your computer, you can also map a website via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) as a network place. This can make file transfers and website maintenance easier to perform because it eliminates the need for a third-party FTP program. Instead of needing to log in to your website using an FTP client, you can simply drag and drop files to and from your mapped network place as if it were a physical drive.

Things You'll Need

Microsoft Windows XP or Vista

Internet connection

FTP log-in information

Open Windows Explorer by running "explorer.exe" from the Run dialog box. You can bring up the Run dialog box by pressing the "Windows" key and the letter "R" at the same time. In the available text area, type "explorer.exe" and press "Enter."

In Windows Explorer, click on the "Tools" menu near the top, and select the "Map Network Drive" option. This will open the Map Network Drive dialog box.

Click on the link that will allow you to connect to a network server or website, located beneath the drive letter and folder selection boxes. This may be listed as "Sign up for online storage or connect to a network server" or "Connect to a Web site that you can use to store your documents and pictures," depending on your version of Microsoft Windows. This will open the "Add Network Place Wizard."

Click the "Next" button on the Add Network Place Wizard. When prompted to choose where to create the network place, click "Choose another (or custom) network location" and then click "Next."

In the Internet or network address text area, type your FTP address and click "Next." Typically this will be "ftp://www.yourdomain.com" or "ftp://ftp.yourdomain.com," where "yourdomain" is the name of the website you're attempting to access. Your FTP log-in information can be acquired by contacting your domain hosting service.

If your FTP allows anonymous login, make sure the "Log on anonymously" box is checked. If your FTP requires a user name and password, uncheck the "Log on anonymously" box and type your user name in the provided text area and click "Next."

Type a name to identify this network place, then click "Next."

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Make sure the "Open this network place when I click Finish" box is checked. The first time the network place is opened, you will be prompted for your FTP password. The network place can now be accessed from My Computer or from Windows Explorer.

Tips & Warnings

While mapping a website to a network place does not give it a drive letter like a mapped network drive, the network place can be selected as a drive from most applications and used just like a drive. If you require a drive letter, there are several free programs that enable true drive mapping to a website address, such as NetDrive (see Resources section).